FLIP THAT THOUGHT

She woke me up at 3 Am, saying she wanted to talk. I was tired. But I sat with her and we talked. About purpose. About life and growth. About God. About identity. With God’s help, we flipped that thought, the ones that are dark and a lie, and changed it to light and truth.

‘Flip that thought!’ the first time I heard that phrase, I was on the Okada (Commercial Motorbike), trying to get home after a beautiful-kind-of-tiring-day. The day was good, I was feeling good, and then, like an uninvited stranger taking a seat in my home, like it belonged there, the crazy thoughts spoke, ‘You are nothing…you are not that great…You are not tall enough or fair enough or beautiful enough…You are too skinny…What is your talent again?…God doesn’t like you…You are not living out your purpose…No one likes you…Look at ‘So and So’, you should be like them…. Look at Miss R or Mr. X, see all they are doing, they are better than you…You are wasting your life…blah and blah’…Thoughts like those bombarded my heart. The one phrase Holy Spirit whispered to me in my confusion was, ‘ Be careful of the narrative you entertain in your hearts. What does God say about you right now? Has God ever lied to you? Now Flip that thoughts- those wicked lying thoughts, and fix your thoughts on what is true and good. Whose report do you believe?’ …Speaking God’s truth over my life snapped me out of the crazy evil thoughts.

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That is what I told her when she woke me up at 3 AM, and that is what I hold on to nowadays when those fearful lying thought comes. I simply say ‘FLIP THOSE THOUGHTS’, and then I shift my thoughts to God’s kind of thoughts. Gods thoughts for me are priceless and countless, and some of it, includes

…The son of God has broken the works of the devil (1 John 3:8)

….Surely, I’ll see God’s goodness in the land of the living (Psalms 27)

….The plans God has for me is beautiful. I am a powerful woman- made for miracles and wonders (Jeremiah 29:11; Proverbs 31)

The other day, as the bus sped on the highway, I watched as the sand followed along, in the direction of the wind. And it struck me, even nature is governed by a set law. And so, what laws are governing me? Is it the right one?

When it comes to our thoughts, are we led by the right kind of thoughts…Here’s what the Bible says, ‘as you think, so you become’ (Proverbs 4:23).

What are you thinking about now? What kind of thoughts are you dwelling on right now? Is it true? Is it pleasing to God

( Philippians 4:18; Psalms 19:14)

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Sometimes, weird annoying thoughts creep into our hearts when we compare our life chapters with other people’s chapter. But really, God did not create us to live that way. He made us to love Him and others, and to trust Him, knowing that at the right time, He will make all things beautiful.

My friend Oghale is so amazing. He is currently blind, but sometimes I wonder, what if He could see, but was deaf and dumb, would life be better? When God made us, He didn’t make one part of the body better than the others. Every part of the body has a role to play.

I recently learned that the HIV war strategy is to attack our body CD4-T cell. Without the CD4-T cell, our body can’t fight diseases. As unseen and as tiny as this cell is, we can’t enjoy life without it. It is important.

That’s how life is, we all need each other. God made us for community, and community thrives on real love. Without Mr. So and so or Ms. X, life will be incomplete. We all need God. God needs us all to be in peace with ourselves and with each other. Refuse to be envious (1 Corinthians 12)

There is no need to compare our lives with each other. Focus on your life, water your garden, and as you do this, help others grow.

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Proverbs 4:18 to 27 recently made a whole lot of sense to me. After reading it, I imagined I was on a journey. In that verse, God says our paths are like bright morning light, that keeps growing brighter and brighter until full daylight. But we have to stay focused on our path and not allow any pressure or challenge to shift us from the beautiful path God has us on. We have to safeguard our hearts, our eyes and our speech. We have to guard our thoughts too and stay focused, not on what we think or what others think, but ensuring that our thoughts are aligned with what God says.

Distraction is a beautiful lure that can take us away from our God-given adventure. Don’t be distracted. Flip that crazy thought. Stay focused.

The bible is compared to a sword. And so, when confusing…annoying…seems like its true, but it’s not true…kind of thought attack you, slay it with God’s word. Arrest that thought and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)

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She woke me up at 3 Am, saying she wanted to talk. I stood up and we talked. About purpose. About life and growth. About God. About identity. With God’s help, we flipped that thought, the ones that we unconsciously tell ourselves after the enemy of our soul whispers it to us; the ones that others tell us by their actions and mouth and we believe them, even though we don’t want to; the ones that is dark and a lie….With God’s help, we flipped and killed those thoughts…we changed it to light and truth.

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Be careful of what you entertain in the thought of your life. It can affect you- your mood, relationships and life. Don’t stew in evil thoughts. Let God’s word govern you. God’s word is true and never fails.

Love you. You are a child of God and is loved. You are no victim. You are a victor.